Grupo Firme has been on a hot streak for the last couple of years, selling out stadiums across the U.S. and Mexico. To ensure that every fan enjoys their concerts, the Mexican band started giving out sensory vests for people with hearing impairment last month so they can feel the sound of their banda bangers. In an exclusive interview with Remezcla, Grupo Firme’s lead singer Eduin Caz talked about making the band’s concerts more inclusive, being a part of the regional Mexican music explosion, and what to expect next.
In a few short years, Grupo Firme has become one of the top-selling touring acts. After multiple sold-out concerts at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, the band broke a record for the highest ticket sales by a Latine act. Last month at a concert in Monterrey, Mexico, Grupo Firme started implementing the sensory vests with their shows. They will continue to use them going forward on the Central American leg of their tour, so their deaf fans can feel vibrations from the VEST (Versatile Extra-Sensory Transducer) jackets. When a person puts on the jacket, they feel the beat of the music through sound-to-touch mapping.
“For me, it was important to do something for fans with hearing impairment so they can enjoy the show too,” the frontman says. “What Grupo Firme is about is bringing the party, and I like to create positive experiences, like what we did with the sensory vests. We also bring Mexican folklore to the stage. It’s an audiovisual experience.”
Something else that sets Grupo Firme apart from other regional Mexican acts is the band’s acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. Caz’s brother Jhonny, who is also a part of the band, is openly gay. During one of Grupo Firme’s concerts in 2021, Jhonny’s boyfriend, Jonathan Bencomo, proposed to him while onstage. With Jhonny proudly out, the band has many queer fans as well.
“We’ve had a lot of critics, but we don’t let it affect us,” Eduin says. “I can’t leave my brother out. I’m here to support him and do everything possible for him. He’s my brother, and we don’t have a problem with his sexual orientation. On the contrary, [having a connection with the LGBTQ+ community] is something that’s favorable to us.”
Alongside artists like Peso Pluma and Carin León, Grupo Firme are helping regional Mexican music go global. The band recently knocked Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” from the top spot of Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart with “Que Onda Perdida” featuring Gerardo “El Jerry” Coronel. Grupo Firme achieved their eighth No.1 hit on that chart.
“What Grupo Firme is about is bringing the party, and I like to create positive experiences.”
“I’m very proud,” Eduin says about representing música Mexicana. “We’re one of the various acts that have a big voice in this movement. We’re not just focused on putting a song on streaming platforms. If you’re going to buy a ticket to our concert, I want people to dance and enjoy the concert. I want people to say, ‘Wow! This Mexican group, Grupo Firme, is really good!’”
Grupo Firme is currently working on their next album, and Eduin promises that it won’t only be banda or regional Mexican music. They’re ready to take their peda-ready anthems to the next level.
“There are a lot of collaborations that I’m very passionate about with artists in other genres outside of regional Mexican music,” he says. “We’re incorporating a lot of fusions with the style of those artists with our style. We’re going to take our Mexican roots to other countries.”
